Eye Film Institute - film museum and city development column

On 4 April 2012, the EYE Film Institute opened its doors to the public. Queen Beatrix officially opened the 1,200 square-meter exhibition space located in front of Central Station in Amsterdam.

The opening of EYE is one in a series of museum (re-)openings that Amsterdam has experienced over the past month and will continue to experience in upcoming years. EYE has chosen to make some noise and occupy a brand new waterfront location right opposite to Central Station on the ‘wrong’ side of the river IJ. For now, this strategy seems to work.

 

Landmark

The futuristic building of the only Dutch museum dedicated completely to film was designed by the Vienna office of Delugan Meissi Associated Architects. The team of architects, also creators of the 

famous Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, began the construction in 2009. The totality of the building can best be seen from across the IJ River, separating the centre of Amsterdam from the northern part of Amsterdam. 220,000 visitors are expected each year, three times the number of visitors in their previous location. 38,000 people have already visited the Institute only during the first week.

 

EYE Film Institute

The aim of the EYE Institute is to develop a vigorous film culture in the Netherlands by opening its doors to a wide audience of professionals and curious minds. The new location of the Institute allows ample room: four modern auditoriums display carefully selected films. The EYE collection currently holds 46,000 films, 500,000 photos, and 41,500 posters. The Institute aims to foster and promote Dutch films at home and abroad. In addition to promoting Dutch films, the Institute aims to advance knowledge about film and related audiovisual media, provide film education for the young public, increase film attendance, and, finally, place the film sector in the centre of public debate.

 

Found Footage

The current exhibition, ‘Found Footage,’ runs until 3 June 2012. The exhibition shows how artists and

filmmakers make use of the nearly inexhaustible reservoir of images that can be found in film archives, on the Internet, and through TV and DVD. The exhibition portrays how film fragments are given a new life by being implanted in artists’ and filmmakers’ new films, installations and presentations.

 

Amsterdam-Noord

The construction of the film institute on the opposite side of Amsterdam’s centre is a new step in the development of this ‘forgotten’ part of the city. But the choice is logical as well. Constructing a building this size in the centre would have been impossible due to its size and form. Here, the EYE building cannot be missed from the other side of the river, attracting attention and people to the northern part of Amsterdam. Amsterdam-Noord is an autonomous borough of Amsterdam situated above the IJ River. The river separates the borough from the centre of Amsterdam. The area is not served by the tram or metro system but is connected to the conurbation by three tunnels, bus services, and ferries. A metro tunnel connecting the two sides of the city is expected to be finished in 2017. The municipality is actively working on improving the connection between the two sides of the city. The north area is lacking services, entertainment and cultural centres, though many projects are actively changing the cultural dynamics of the area. 

 

Foto 2 by uitdragerij, flickr commons